A small group of U.S. national security officials has been discreetly advising state and congressional lawmakers on how to prepare for the possibility that the Trump administration will attempt to interfere in the midterms, according to people involved. wapo.st/3WjVke5

Marion County Election Board Expecting Federal ‘Monitors’ on Election Day INDIANAPOLIS - On October 21st, the Marion County Election Board received notice that the United States Department of Justice would be sending "election monitors" to Marion County for the upcoming midterm election. Subsequently, the board received notice that Marion County was one of only two counties in Indiana to receive this designation, with the other being Lake County. “We were not informed as to who or what prompted this unique status,” said Marion County Clerk Kate Sweeney Bell. “We were not told what criteria was used to make this determination, and we do not know why the Department of Justice chose these two specific counties in this election cycle in this particular state.” The board has yet to be told what, precisely, the election monitors will do on Election Day, other than they plan to observe the election processes for federal law compliance. The Marion County Election Board recently approved a new policy instructing poll workers how to handle interactions with DOJ officials and federal agents, and the board has been proactively training poll workers to be prepared for such interactions. Election Board staff feel confident in the planning, approach, and ability to successfully navigate this scenario and conduct the election. “In my tenure as Clerk, I have ensured our county's elections are conducted in a professional, open, and transparent manner,” said Clerk Sweeney Bell. “Election integrity is paramount, and it means ensuring every legally registered voter who would like to cast a ballot is able to. It also means using every legal tool at our disposal to ensure no voter is intimidated or disrupted in the voting process - by anybody – as protected by state and federal law.” The board is proud of how elections are administered in Marion County, thanks to its dedicated staff, incredible volunteers, and the thousands of poll workers who take time off on Election Day to make democracy work. @93wibc

9 DAYS until Election Day. 23,169,458 ballots in as of 10/23. Senate: D 81% House: D 92% Governors: D 88% Closest races: Turek D+0.1, Bottoms D+0.6, Jackson D+0.8, Andrews D+1.1, Peltola D+1.5 👇 onpointpolitics.us/forecast